Former Dodgers Outfielder Turned Rival Signs With Major NL Powerhouse

Valentina Martinez | Mar 20, 2025

Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo (24) celebrates with first base coach Travis Chapman (75) after hitting a RBI single during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Outfielder Alex Verdugo signed a one year, $1.5 million deal with the Atlanta Braves Thursday. Up until this week, Verdugo had not received a big-league offer throughout his free agency process.

Free agent OF Alex Verdugo finally lands job, signs 1-year, $1.5 million deal with Atlanta. @JonHeyman on it.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 20, 2025

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Verdugo will start the season in the minor leagues after signing with Atlanta in order to get his reps there. The Braves will monitor how he progresses.

Verdugo is coming off a performance where his offensive numbers took a dip. He slashed .233/.291/.356 in 2024 with the New York Yankees, but it still came as a surprise that the outfielder had not garnered any interest from teams this winter.

The 28-year-old made his Major League debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017. Verdugo became a notable fan favorite, especially for those who enjoyed his walkup song "Volver, Volver" by Vicente Fernández.

While Verdugo became an up and coming star in L.A., the Dodgers included him in the trade package to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Mookie Betts.

After the Dodgers won the World Series in 2020, the outfielder made some interesting comments about the validity of the championship title.

"A 60-game season, it's still hard to judge to this day," Verdugo said. "Like yeah, it's a World Series, right? Yeah, they got a ring. But they didn't play any games at their home field. They didn't. There weren't any fans there. It was 60 games. Anyone could ball out for 60 games. That extra 102 is a big difference. They won it, it's a true one, for what we call it. But I still call it as I see it, it's still a 60-gamer."

Verdugo met the Dodgers in the Fall Classic playing for the Bronx Bombers, and now there's a chance he will meet the defending champions in the postseason with his new team, the Braves.

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For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.